I do feel the second interpretation (power loss as alternate consequences) seems more in line with the system, but the problem with the second interpretation is that it seems too lenient. It will lead to situations in which consequences only occur if more than a couple of scenes result in failed discipline rolls in a row. (Because the rules also state that the hunger track is cleared by a subsequent successful FD/discipline check at the end of a scene.) So, for example, if I had a semi-decent discipline (3 box hunger track) I could take up to three failures, then deliberate make light use of my powers in the fourth scene (possibly a non-combat scene?) to wipe the hunger track. This also makes little sense, which leads me to the conclusion that this mechanic needs house rules.
Here's a first stab. My attempt here is to make hunger management something the player has to deal with, while not making it crippling to the point of making the character unplayable.
Leave the "Hunger Is Stressful" section as is.
Change the "Limited Reserves" section as follows:
At the end of any scene in which you have exerted your affected powers, you must check to see if you experience feeding failure. This manifests as an attack with a strength equal to the total refresh cost of the abilities you used; you roll Discipline to defend. For example, if you used Inhuman Strength and Inhuman Toughness in the scene, that’s a total of 4 refresh, so you’d be rolling your Discipline to meet or beat a target of 4. (Note that cost reductions such as The Catch do not reduce the refresh value of powers for purposes of Feeding Failure tests.)
* If you succeed, you avoid the worst ravages of your hunger. Even so, you suffer a 1 stress hit to your hunger stress track.
* If you fail, you take hunger stress as though you’d suffered an attack.
* In either case, If you have physical or mental consequence slots open, you may use them to buy off the stress as per the normal rules (page 203). If you cannot or do not wish to spare consequences, then you may choose to lose access to a number of your powers, up to a refresh cost equal to the amount of stress taken. Reduce the stress taken by one for each refresh point of power sacrificed. These options can be combined however you choose.
* If there is sufficent stress remaining after any reductions from consequences or power loss to go past the end of your hunger track, then you are taken out by a feeding failure (resulting in complete incapacitation, extreme emaciation, and other nasty fates).
Change the "Failure Recovery" section as follows:
To recover from hunger consequences, regain lost powers, or remove hunger stress, you must feed as appropriate to your dependency.
* Any time you trigger your feeding power (ex: Blood Drinker or Emotional Vampire) while inflicting a consequence on the victim, you may remove one point of stress from your hunger track in addition to any other effects of the power.
* If you opt out of a scene entirely in order to feed, then you may make a feeding check using an appropriate ability against a difficulty determined by the GM. (For example, A WCV that opts out of a scene in order to feed at a rave might test with Presence or Deceit against a mediocre difficulty, whereas a RCV who finds his reserves depleted in the middle of a wilderness might have a much harder time of it.) If this check is successful, then all stress is removed from your hunger track and one point of lost power is recovered per shift generated. Alternatively, some or all shifts can be used to recover from or reduce the severity of hunger-induced consequences regardless of the usual recovery time at the rate of one shift per shift worth of consequence. For example, a severe consequence could be downgraded to a mild consequence if four shifts are allocated to it.
* You can regain all of your lost abilities (hunger-caused stress, power loss, and consequences) in one scene if you feed so forcefully as to kill a victim outright.
Any thoughts? Some features of these house rules:
* A character with feeding dependency could probably hold off for several fights, so long as some care is taken with over-use of powers. A high discipline is of considerable value here.
* With a 1-stress minimum (similar to the minimum stress caused by casting a spell), even the most disciplined vamps will deplete their reserves eventually if no attempt is made to feed. Using feeding powers (appropriately) in combats can allow for some hunger mitigation.
* Opting out of a single scene has a reasonable chance of allowing full recovery from all but the worst hunger attacks or sustained abstinence. This is especially true if the player comes up with a good feeding plan, thus minimizing the difficulty.
Some possible options:
* When determining the strength of the hunger attack, add one to the attack strength for each box already marked off on your hunger track (so if your first and third boxes had been previously marked off in the preceeding example, you would add +2 to the strength of the attack for a total attack strength of 6).
* It may be that the ability to feed during a normal scene is too powerful. If so, this can be altered so that the character may either remove one stress box or one point of stress each time they take out (without killing) a victim using a feeding power. Taking out a victim but avoiding killing them while feeding might require a discipline check, with a failed check being rather problematic for a RCV.
